I'm not a fan of manual transmissions anymore. At all. Being a car enthusiast, this puts me in a tough place amongst others that swear by it. With modern DSG transmissions being so fun to drive...
A very common oil leak on any older VW is the valve cover gasket, but using the original parts is not always the best course of action. The factory gasket, used on pretty much all 4 cylinder VW/Audis from the early 70s to early 90s, is a three piece set, with rubber and cork, that leaves much to...
The M30 engine is one BMW's long run power plants. From a performance standpoint, its also one of the more common engine swaps performed to replace some of the lesser powered late 80's and early 90's BMWs like the BMW 535i. Most have stood the test of time with only minor valve adjustments and...
From the moment I became aware of the Pick 'n' Pull concept I was hooked. The notion you could just go wander a massive field of cars with your vehicle listing in one hand and a spanner in the other is very exciting. Every car and part on the lot is for sale. At some facilities a bucket full of...
Some Mercedes models like the W220 S-Class and E210 E-Class include a heated washer fluid reservoir in addition to heated spray nozzles. From the parts diagram below you can see it works by recirculating engine coolant throughout a pipe loop within the reservoir. This is great for keeping the...
European vehicles are becoming increasingly popular and more attainable as manufacturers trend towards the mainstream buyer. Vehicles like the Mercedes CLA and Audi A3 simply didn't need to exist in the past - entry level luxury wasn't "entry level" yet, and there was no cheap way in without...
The Mark 4 Volkswagen is all things to all men. Its simple, serviceable, bulletproof design brings both reliability and driving pleasure to the consumer, all at an affordable price. The chassis design was so good that for a period, almost everything was built on this platform – Golf, Jetta,...
A relay is a simple device, but when a relay fails, its can be very difficult to diagnose. The Volvo 940 has a very common failure of the Radio Suppression Relay. Despite the name, it neither suppresses anything nor is it related to the radio. What it does is simply give power to the fuel...
Driving a car with a manual transmission adds a level of enjoyment to the driving experience, I typically prefer a manual (sometimes called stick shift or standard, depending on your location) Over the years I've had a number of opportunities to teach others how to use them, and thought it might...
Seats are often the first thing you see when getting in a car, and old worn/dirty seats make a terrible impression when buying or selling. On the other hand, great seats can really lift an interior and increase the value if you're trying to make it stand out. The original seats in my 1993 BMW...